Packaging assembly

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a packaging assembly for displaying and shipping a packaged product, the packaging assembly comprising a display pack having one or more product chambers for containing the packaged product and a box that houses the display pack, the box including a front panel having a product window disposed therein for revealing the packaged products contained within the display pack, wherein the front panel includes a lip around a perimeter of the product window that prevents the display pack from being removed from the box through the product window.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to bulk packaging for shippingand display and, more particularly, to a packaging assembly foreconomically and safely shipping and displaying one or more products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, products have been shipped in bulk from a manufacturer toa retailer in cartons containing protective packing material. Individualproducts were then removed from the cartons to be individually placed ona shelf or rack for display. For small, expensive and easily stolenproducts, the shelf or rack might be located within a secured displaycase to minimize the risk of theft.

This system of shipping and display is both costly and time consuming.The manufacturer must often pay relatively expensive initial packagingcosts, particularly for items that are easily damaged by rough handling.The retailer must pay employees to individually place each product itemon display in a manner that is both appearing to the customer and safefor the product. Furthermore, for small, expensive and easily stolenproducts, which are kept in secured display cases, the retailer must paya sales person to attend to each customer wishing to inspect theproducts. These costs are typically passed along to the consumer, whoreceives little benefit from them other than to receive a product thathas safely survived the rigors of shipping. Accordingly, there is acontinuing need for more economical means of safely and efficientlyshipping and displaying products for sale.

It is known that small products may be packaged in comparatively largecontainers to deter theft. However, these containers require the use oflarge amounts of retail space, and the containers must be decorated andotherwise configured to appeal to consumers, adding to the total productpackaging cost. Therefore, some manufacturers have used smallerpackaging, with an optional, transparent display pack, such as a blisterpack, available at a retailer's request.

The display pack, which contains the product within its smallerpackaging, typically is significantly larger than the small packaging,providing for increased deterrence of theft. Typically, display packsare configured with an appealing appearance to the customer, and provideadded safety in shipping. Display packs are usually made from twovacuum-formed sheets of clear plastic, sealed around the edges, forminga chamber for holding the product. Such display packs are relativelyinexpensive, and benefit from the appealing appearance of the smallpackaging, which is visible through the display packs. U.S. Design Pat.No. D 353,092, to Green, entitled “Blister Pack” discloses a transparentdisplay pack assembly having several cavities for containing products.

Warehouse shopping clubs such as Sam's Club and Costco requiremanufacturers to ship products according to strict guidelines thatensure the products are adequately protected during shipment and readyto be displayed on the warehouse floor. A challenge for manufacturers isin striking an appropriate balance between adequately protecting theproducts and minimizing the amount of handling necessary to display theproducts on the store floor. Internal plastic packaging is preferredbecause it allows the product to be viewed by consumers. However, suchpackaging is more susceptible to damage during shipment and is difficultto display in bulk form. Consequently, warehouse clubs and manufacturershave a long felt need for external packaging that is sufficiently strongto protect the internal plastic packaging, yet that permits easyhandling and display of the packaged products on the store floor.

It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a need for apackaging assembly that overcomes the drawbacks of prior packagingassemblies, as described above, and that includes a box and a productdisplay pack housed within the box, wherein the box is sufficientlystrong to protect the product display pack, yet permits easy handlingand display of the packaged product. The present invention fulfills thisneed and provides further related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a packaging assembly including a box and a product display packhoused within the box, wherein the box includes a front panel having alip that prevents the display pack from being removed through a productwindow in the front panel, thereby discouraging theft of the product.

The present invention provides a packaging assembly for shipping anddisplaying a plurality of products. It provides for economy and safetyby protecting the products from shipping damage, providing for fast andefficient display, and offering significant protection against theftwithout requiring the attention of a salesperson.

One aspect of the present invention involves a packaging assembly fordisplaying and shipping a packaged product, the packaging assemblycomprising a display pack having one or more product chambers forcontaining the packaged product and a box that houses the display pack,the box including a front panel having a product window disposed thereinfor revealing the packaged products contained within the display pack,wherein the front panel includes a lip around a perimeter of the productwindow that prevents the display pack from being removed from the boxthrough the product window. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, the display pack comprises a transparent, two-part blisterpack assembly carried within the box, but visible through the productwindow in the front panel. Each product chamber of the display packcomprises a convex portion that protrudes from the packaging assemblysuch that the convex portion is disposed substantially in front of thefront panel of the box. Additionally, each product chamber of thedisplay pack further comprises a concave portion disposed substantiallywithin the box, wherein the convex and concave portions are mated toform the one or more product chambers.

According to the invention, the display pack comprises a front portioncontaining one or more convex portions of the one or more productchambers, and a rear portion containing one or more concave portions ofthe one or more product chambers. The front portion of the display packcomprises a substantially planar sheet of transparent plastic having theconvex portions projecting therefrom, and a side wall around a perimeterof the front portion that is disposed substantially normal to the planarsheet. In addition, the rear portion comprises a substantially planarsheet of transparent plastic having the concave portions formingrecesses therein, and a side wall around a perimeter of the rear portionthat is disposed substantially normal to the planar sheet. The front andrear portions of the display pack are adjoined such that the convex andconcave portions align to create the one or more product chambers.

According to some embodiments of the invention the packaging assemblymay further comprise a substantially planar product display carddisposed between the front and rear portions of the display pack suchthat the display card is visible through the product window in the frontpanel of the box. The display card preferably includes one or morecutouts that correspond with dimensions and locations of the one or moreproduct chambers. According to additional embodiments, the packagingassembly may further comprise a product insert area disposed within thecardboard box, the product insert area containing packaged product partsthat are not displayed through the product window. According to furtherembodiments, a rear panel of the box may comprise one or more concaverecesses dimensioned to receive one or more convex portions of a displaypack of another packaging assembly.

Another aspect of the present invention involves a multi-layer stack ofpackaging assemblies for displaying and shipping packaged products, thestack comprising a first layer of packaging assemblies and a secondlayer of packaging assemblies disposed on top of the first layer ofpackaging assemblies, wherein each packaging assembly comprises adisplay pack having one or more product chambers for containing thepackaged product and a box that houses the display pack. The boxincludes a front panel having a product window disposed therein forrevealing the packaged products contained within the display pack,wherein the front panel includes a lip around a perimeter of the productwindow that prevents the display pack from being removed from the boxthrough the product window. In addition, a rear panel of the boxcomprises one or more concave recesses dimensioned to receive one ormore convex portions of a display pack of another packaging assembly.

Other features and advantages of the present invention should becomeapparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate,by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 a is a side view of a preferred packaging assembly, in accordancewith the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 1 b is a bottom view of the preferred packaging assembly of FIG. 1a;

FIG. 2 a is a bottom view of the display pack of the preferred packagingassembly, in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 b is an exploded view of the display pack of FIG. 2 a;

FIG. 3 a is a top view of the preferred packaging assembly of FIG. 1 a,wherein the cardboard box is provided with concave recesses dimensionedto receive the convex portions of another packaging assembly; and

FIG. 3 b is a top view of a layer of packaging assemblies formed bypositioning a plurality of the packaging assemblies of FIG. 3 a in aside-by-side orientation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to a packaging assembly for displayingand shipping one or more packaged products. In particular, the packagingassembly includes a box having a front panel with an opening or productwindow for revealing a packaged product disposed within the box. Thepackaging assembly further comprises a two-part, transparent plasticdisplay pack carried within the box, but visible through the productwindow in the front panel. The box includes a lip around an edge of theproduct window that prevents the two-part plastic display pack frombeing removed from the box. The preferred packaging assembly of theinvention includes a box made of corrugated cardboard to provideadequate strength for shipping and handling. It should be understood tothose of ordinary skill in the art that the box may comprise any numberof materials having a high strength to weight ratio without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, a preferred packaging assembly 100 fordisplaying and shipping one or more packaged products in accordance withthe principles of the invention will now be described. Specifically, thepackaging assembly 100 comprises a cardboard box 110 that houses adisplay pack 140 having one or more product chambers 145 for containingthe packaged product. The cardboard box 110 comprises a front panel 115,a rear panel 118, a top panel 120, a bottom panel 124, a left side panel126, and a right side panel 128, wherein the front panel 115 includes aproduct window 130 comprising an opening or cutout in the front panel115 for revealing one or more packaged products disposed within thedisplay pack 140. In accordance with the principles of the invention,the front panel 115 of the cardboard box 110 includes a lip 150 around aperimeter 155 of the product window 130, such that the perimeter 155 ofthe product window is smaller than a perimeter of the display pack 140.In other words, the lip 150 is the portion of the front panel 115 thatfits over the display pack 140 and prevents the display pack 140 frombeing removed from the cardboard box 110 through the product window 130.The packaging assembly 100 may further comprise a product insert area135 disposed within the cardboard box 110. Particularly, the productinsert area 135 may contain additional product parts, accessories,instructions and other materials related to the product that are notdisplayed through the product window 130.

The display pack 140 of the preferred packaging assembly 100 of theinvention may comprise a transparent, two-part blister pack assemblycarried within the cardboard box 110, but visible through the productwindow 130 in the front panel 115. As illustrated in FIG. 1 b, eachproduct chamber 145 of the display pack 140 includes a convex portion146 that protrudes from the packaging assembly 100 such that it isdisposed substantially in front of the front panel 115. Additionally,each product chamber 145 further includes a concave portion 148 disposedsubstantially within the cardboard box 110. The convex portions 146 andconcave portions 148 are mated to form the product chambers 145 for thepackaged products. In the illustrated embodiment, the product window 130comprises a single opening that is large enough to receive all of theproduct chambers 145. According to other embodiments, the front panel115 may comprise a plurality of product windows, each product windowdimensioned to receive a single product chamber. According to someembodiments of the invention, the display pack 140 may be vacuum sealedaround its periphery.

With further reference to FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, the bottom panel 124 of thecardboard box 110 preferably includes a surface area that issufficiently large to allow the packaging assembly 100 to stand on itsown while being transported or displayed. In addition, the cardboard box110 should be strong enough to support a significant amount of weightplaced on top of the packaging assembly 100 in the form of additionalstacked packaging assemblies. In this regard, the preferred packagingassembly 100 of the invention includes a box 110 made of corrugatedcardboard to provide adequate strength for stacking layers of packagingassemblies on too of one another.

Referring to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the two-part display pack 140 of theinvention is depicted after being removed from the cardboard box 110.Specifically, the display pack 140 comprises a front portion 160containing the convex portions 146 of the product chambers 145 and arear portion 165 containing the concave portions 148 of the productchambers 145. More particularly, the front portion 160 of the displaypack 140 comprises a substantially planar sheet 180 of transparentplastic having the convex portions 146 projecting therefrom, and a sidewall 185 around the perimeter of the planar sheet 180 that is disposedsubstantially normal to the planar sheet 180. Similarly, the rearportion 165 comprises a substantially planar sheet 190 of transparentplastic having the concave portions 148 forming recesses therein, and aside wall 195 around the perimeter of the planar sheet 190 that isdisposed substantially normal to the planar sheet 190. The planar sheet180 of the front portion 160 preferably is slightly larger in length andwidth than the planar sheet 190 of the rear portion 165 such that theside wall 185 of the first portion 160 may be slipped into place overthe side wall 195 of the rear portion, as depicted in FIG. 2 a.

When the front and rear portions 160, 165 are adjoined, the convex andconcave portions 146, 148 align to create the product chambers 145. Eachproduct chamber 145 is configured to hold a packaged product (or aportion of a packaged product), and is dimensioned to conform to theshape of the packaged product to accommodate both display and shippingrequirements. Since the front and rear portions 160, 165 are formedusing a transparent material, the product chambers 145 allow the one ormore packaged products to be visible to potential buyers. As depicted inFIG. 2 b, a substantially planar product display card 170 may bedisposed between the front and rear portions 160, 165 of the displaypack 140 such that the display card 170 is visible through the productwindow 130 in the front panel 115 of the cardboard box 110. The displaycard 170 preferably includes cutouts 175 that correspond with thedimensions and locations of the product chambers 145, so as toaccommodate the one or more packaged products within the productchambers 145.

With farther reference to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, in the illustratedembodiment the front and rear portions 160, 165 are readily separablefrom each other. According to some embodiments of the invention, thefront and rear portions 160, 165 may be provided with interlockingindents such that an interference or friction fit is establishedtherebetween. Alternatively, the front and rear portions 160, 165 may besealed together by fusing the side wall 185 of the front portion 160 tothe side wall 195 of the rear portion 165. In this manner, the displaypack may be vacuum sealed around its periphery.

In the packaging assembly 100, the packaged products are suspended inthe product chambers 145, thereby protecting the packaged products fromdamage during shipping and handling. The display pack 140 internallyprovides vertical and lateral support to the rest of the packagingassembly 100. The display pack 140, while having an appealing shape, andoptionally having a display card 170 to augment its appearance, displaysthe packaged products in full view, allowing the aesthetics of thepackaged products and information on the display card 170 to encourageconsumers to purchase the products. In this regard, the outer peripheryof the entire cardboard box 110 may be employed to display printing suchas text and/or images associated with the packaged products. The lip 150of the front panel 115 provides further surface area for displayingadditional printing such as text and/or images associated with thepackaged products.

According to the invention, the packaging assembly 100 described hereinacts as a theft deterrent because the cardboard box 110 makes theoverall assembly too large to easily conceal, for example underneath anarticle of clothing. Additionally, the cardboard box 110 gives thepackaging assembly 100 added strength to avoid being crushed duringshipping and handling, especially when layers, or tiers, of packagingassemblies are stacked on top of one another, as described below. Unlikeconventional blister packs that require a slotted display stand forproper support, the packaging assembly 100 of the invention isself-supporting and may be employed to transport and display much largerproducts.

The display pack 140 preferably is sized to extend fully from the bottompanel 124 to the top panel 120 of the cardboard box 110. The displaypack, thereby, can assist the cardboard box in supporting the weight ofany overlaying layers, or tiers, of packaging assemblies 100. Thissupplemental support optionally allows the cardboard box to be formed ofpanels that are thinner, and thus less costly, than would be required ifthe overlaying tiers were to be supported by the cardboard boxes, alone.

FIG. 3 a is a top view of the packaging assembly 100 of FIG. 1, whereinthe rear panel 118 of the cardboard box 110 comprises one or moreconcave recesses 200 dimensioned to receive the convex portions 146 ofthe display pack 140 of another packaging assembly 100. As illustratedin FIG. 3 b, a layer 210 of packaging assemblies may be formed bypositioning a plurality of packaging assemblies 100, 100′, 100″side-by-side such that the convex portions 146″ of the rearmostpackaging assembly 100″ nest within the corresponding concave recesses200′ of the packaging assembly 100′ that is immediately in front of therearmost packaging assembly 100″. Similarly, the convex portions 146′ ofpackaging assembly 100′ nest within the corresponding concave recesses200 of the leading packaging assembly 100 disposed immediately in frontof packaging assembly 100′. Although the illustrated embodiment depictsa layer 210 having three side-by-side packaging assemblies 100, 100′,100″, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art thatany number of packaging assemblies may be employed to form a layerwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

With further reference to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, additional layers 210 ofpackaging assemblies 100 may be stacked on top of each other to form amulti-layer stack of packaging assemblies 100. In particular, by nestingthe convex portions 146 of a packaging assembly 100 within thecorresponding concave recesses 200 of an adjacent packaging assembly100, the resultant formation includes enhanced structural rigidity thatallows layers of packaging assemblies 100 to be stacked on top of oneanother without crushing the bottom layer. In addition, the cargo spacenecessary for shipping a multi-layer stack of packaging assemblies 100is significantly reduced when the packaging assemblies 100 are nested inthis manner. The multi-layer stack of packaging assemblies 100 may bewrapped in shrink-wrap or otherwise contained during shipment. Aftershipment, the stack is then unwrapped such that the packaging assemblies100 may be displayed for sale on the store floor.

The present invention has been described above in terms of presentlypreferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present inventioncan be conveyed. However, there are other embodiments not specificallydescribed herein for which the present invention is applicable.Therefore, the present invention should not to be seen as limited to theforms shown, which is to be considered illustrative rather thanrestrictive.

1. A packaging assembly for displaying and shipping a packaged product,the packaging assembly comprising: a display pack having one or moreproduct chambers for containing the packaged product; and a box thathouses the display pack, the box including a front panel having aproduct window disposed therein for revealing the packaged productscontained within the display pack; wherein the front panel includes alip around a perimeter of the product window that prevents the displaypack from being removed from the box through the product window.
 2. Thepackaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the display pack comprises atransparent, two-part blister pack assembly carried within the box, butvisible through the product window in the front panel.
 3. The packagingassembly of claim 1, wherein each product chamber of the display packcomprises a convex portion that protrudes from the packaging assemblysuch that the convex portion is disposed substantially in front of thefront panel of the box.
 4. The packaging assembly of claim 3, whereineach product chamber of the display pack further comprises a concaveportion disposed substantially within the box.
 5. The packaging assemblyof claim 4, wherein the convex and concave portions are mated to formthe one or more product chambers.
 6. The packaging assembly of claim 1,wherein the product window comprises a single opening that is largeenough to receive each of the one or more product chambers.
 7. Thepackaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the product window comprises aplurality of openings, each opening dimensioned to receive a singleproduct chamber.
 8. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein thedisplay pack comprises a front portion containing one or more convexportions of the one or more product chambers, and a rear portioncontaining one or more concave portions of the one or more productchambers.
 9. The packaging assembly of claim 8, wherein the frontportion of the display pack comprises a substantially planar sheet oftransparent plastic having the convex portions projecting therefrom, anda side wall around a perimeter of the front portion that is disposedsubstantially normal to the planar sheet.
 10. The packaging assembly ofclaim 9, wherein the rear portion comprises a substantially planar sheetof transparent plastic having the concave portions forming recessestherein, and a side wall around a perimeter of the rear portion that isdisposed substantially normal to the planar sheet.
 11. The packagingassembly of claim 8, wherein the front and rear portions of the displaypack are adjoined such that the convex and concave portions align tocreate the one or more product chambers.
 12. The packaging assembly ofclaim 8, further comprising a substantially planar product display carddisposed between the front and rear portions of the display pack suchthat the display card is visible through the product window in the frontpanel of the box.
 13. The packaging assembly of claim 12, wherein thedisplay card includes one or more cutouts that correspond withdimensions and locations of the one or more product chambers.
 14. Thepackaging assembly of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the productwindow is smaller than a perimeter of the display pack.
 15. Thepackaging assembly of claim 1, further comprising a product insert areadisposed within the cardboard box, the product insert area containingpackaged product parts that are not displayed through the productwindow.
 16. The packaging assembly of claim 1, wherein a rear panel ofthe box comprises one or more concave recesses dimensioned to receiveone or more convex portions of a display pack of another packagingassembly.
 17. A multi-layer stack of packaging assemblies for displayingand shipping packaged products, the stack comprising: a first layer ofpackaging assemblies; and a second layer of packaging assembliesdisposed on top of the first layer of packaging assemblies; wherein eachpackaging assembly comprises: a display pack having one or more productchambers for containing the packaged product, and a box that houses thedisplay pack, the box including a front panel having a product windowdisposed therein for revealing the packaged products contained withinthe display pack, wherein the front panel includes a lip around aperimeter of the product window that prevents the display pack frombeing removed from the box through the product window, wherein a rearpanel of the box comprises one or more concave recesses dimensioned toreceive one or more convex portions of a display pack of anotherpackaging assembly.
 18. The multi-layer stack of packaging assemblies ofclaim 17, wherein the display pack comprises a transparent, two-partblister pack assembly carried within the box, but visible through theproduct window in the front panel.
 19. The multi-layer stack ofpackaging assemblies of claim 17, wherein each product chamber of thedisplay pack comprises: a convex portion that protrudes from thepackaging assembly such that the convex portion is disposedsubstantially in front of the front panel of the box; and a concaveportion disposed substantially within the box; wherein the convex andconcave portions are mated to form the one or more product chambers. 20.The multi-layer stack of packaging assemblies of claim 17, wherein: thedisplay pack comprises a front portion containing one or more convexportions of the one or more product chambers, and a rear portioncontaining one or more concave portions of the one or more productchambers; the front portion of the display pack comprises asubstantially planar sheet of transparent plastic having the convexportions projecting therefrom, and a side wall around a perimeter of thefront portion that is disposed substantially normal to the planar sheet;and wherein the rear portion comprises a substantially planar sheet oftransparent plastic having the concave portions forming recessestherein, and a side wall around a perimeter of the rear portion that isdisposed substantially normal to the planar sheet.